Laker News

The achievements of Shaq are well documented. Unfortunately for the Suns, none of them have occured in the last couple of years. The last two seasons have been a litany of injury after injury, comeback after comeback, stuggles with weight and conditioning, and ending with declining numbers and his first exit from the All Star game. Who would vote for him now? Not many.

At age 35 and still carry a load of weight, things are unlikely to get better for Shaq. You can eventually recover from some of the injuries that he has had. But when your hips start to go....well....it's not like a hammy. When hips start to go bad they usually never fully recover. Eventually they end up with a hip replacement. Just ask PJ.

So one has to wonder what the Suns were thinking. They run a quick strike offense and the only thing that Shaq can strike quickly is Fatburgers. They will be playing offense four on five. One has to also wonder what their doctors were thinking. The last report I read on his hip was that he was heading towards surgury to clear out some junk. They must have decided that it can wait until summer and gamble on his being able to make through the season.

They have rolled the dice. If he doesn't make it, they could go into the playoffs without Shaq and Shawn Marion. If that happens this trade will spell doom for the Suns. Even if it doesn't happen, they have spent 40 mil on a player that the Heat were happy to unload. It is just a matter of time until father time catches up with Shaq. If he hasn't already.

Either way, mark you calenders for Wednesday, February 20 at 6PM. Speculation is that Shaq will make his debut at home in Phoenix against....you guessed it, the Lakers.

JamFan

Many Laker fans have been clamoring for such a trade with the thinking that what the Lakers really needed was a legitimate power forward that could help propel the Lakers to another championship, or at least be in contention to go to the finals. This season Pau is scoring 19 PPG, with 9 RPG, while hitting 50% from the floor. This move allows the Lakers to permanently move Lamar Odom to small forward, and when Andrew Bynum returns, they will have one of the most formidable front lines in all of basketball.

Moreover, in a recent report out of Spain, Pau's brother is reportedly one of the dominating forces in the Euro league playoffs and is a candidate for MVP. The Lakers drafted Marc Gasol in the second round last summer. One has to wonder than when they drafted Marc, they did so knowing that Pau was going to be their primary target all along. However, the Lakers had to send the rights to Marc in the deal. They also did a sign and trade with Aaron McKie to make the salary numbers work. There is also cash considerations involved and the Lakers receive a future 2nd round pick from the Grizzlies. Certainly having both Gasol brothers together on the Lakers roster would have made quite a story, especially with them being on the floor together at the same time. Now, that will never happen.

This seems like a great trade for the Lakers. They gave up Kwame whose contract was expiring anyway and has been on the butt end of endless jokes by Laker fans because he has never lived up to being a #1 pick in the draft, and we gave Caron Butler to get him, which was a big mistake. Critt, is a future star, but he was the Lakers 3rd PG and rarely used. And as for giving up a couple of future 1st round draft picks, well, the Lakers future is now while Kobe is in his prime and we are definitely not rebuilding.

Rejoice Laker fans, Kobe's wish has come true. When we get everyone healthy there will be no excuses anymore. We have all the pieces in place, We have all the horses to make a run. Hopefully we will be peeking into Chick Hearn's refridgerator over and over again.

Jamfan

JamFan

He was honored as the MVP of the All Star Game where he scored 26 points on 7 of 8 from the 3. This was after he had just placed second in the 3 Pt shooting contest during All Star weekend. One scout said, if he shoots the 3 and hits the 3, there just isn't much you can do about it.

http://www.interbasket.net/players/zhizhi.jpg

JamFan

This will be our first glimpse of what the team is going to look like this year, which is going to be a lot like what it looked like last year. Or is it? The first couple of months of the season the Lakers started quickly and were actually playing good. They certainly looked like a different team the second half of the season with all the injuries. Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, Luke Walton, and Vlad Radmanovic all spent substantial time on the injured list. The Lakers were never the same after that.

With the addition of Derek Fisher, Javaris Crittenton, Coby Karl, and just getting everybody back healthy, will make this team almost look like it has a retooled roster. Tonight, we may not see, Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown as they continue to rehab their off season surguries. Others that have had nagging injuries but still should play include Luke Walton (hamstring), Kobe Bryant (knee) and Chris Mihm (ankle).

So who has been the biggest surprise of training camp. Well that depends on who you want to believe. Coach has been speaking up about some of the young guys.

Jordan Farmar - has bulked up, looks like a vet running the triangle, and suddenly has become a stud outside shooter.

Coby Karl - has been one of the biggest surprises. An undrafted walk on, he is one of the team's best 3 point shooters. A recovering cancer patient, his story is a remarkable one. He is the son of Coach George Karl of the Denver Nuggets.

Andrew Bynum - everyone is talking about his new "Dwight Howard" style body. He hit 56% from the field last year and should be stronger this season. So far he is outplaying Kwame Brown and Chirs Mihm and should secure the starting job as center. Even "Big Man Camp" Pete Newell talked about this kid's future and he has trained the best centers the world has ever seen.

Ronny Turiaf - As Ronny transforms from a rookie style player to a seasoned one, coach has said that he may start Ronny instead of Walton. An opportunistic scorer, Ronny hit 55% from the field last season, and projected over 30 minutes he would bring 10 PPG and 8 RPG. Most importantly he brings a lot of energy to the floor.

Vlad Radmanovic - his hand is fully healed and has recovered from his snowboarding accident and the reports are that he is stroking it from the outside. This is exactly why the team signed him and he is finally looking good.

Kobe Bryant - is not a surprise other than actually showing up for camp. We had already seen a glimpse of what Kobe brings this season by what he did in the summer games. He is about 18 points lighter, quicker, and has rededicated himself to defense.

Elton Brown - Coach says he has been one of the most impressive players during the first week of camp and is apparently trying real hard. Problem is that there currently isn't a roster spot available for this young forward.

Derek Fisher - nothing to be surprised about here during camp. The surprise will come at how much better the Lakers will play with his confident guiding hand running the offense during the regular season.

The projected starting lineup tonight is Kobe, Fish, VladRad, Ronny and AB. So sit back ane enjoy. We will all have to stay up late tonight because the game is on Hawaii time, but I know some of you just might Tivo the game and watch it tomorrow. Is time to stop talking about "PRACTICE," and let the games begin.

JamFan aka Don Allen

"You want the truth, you can't handle the truth"

We have spent all summer trying to make Kobe happy with every trade scenario in the world on the table. But the truth is that the Lakers never intended to make a trade unless it was on their terms.

They never had any intention of trading Andrew Bynum. They might have traded the often injured Lamar Odom for another often injured star, but Bynum was off the table unless the never injured Kevin Garnett was coming to LA. Instead Kevin Mchale gave him away to his old alma matter, the Boston Celtics.

Some time between now and the end of next summer, the extremely intelligent plan of the Lakers front office will become apparent to all. They want to improve with what I will call their new "addition without subtraction" formula. With Chris Mihm coming back and with Bynum the heir apparent for the starting role at center, Kwame Brown is the odd man out with his 9Mil expiring contract. Kwame, other expendable players, and draft picks have been offered for various players including Shawn Marion and Jermaine ONeal, but so far those overtures have not beared any fruit. So far.

This is the package that the Lakers will continue to offer during the upcoming season and if it brings them one of the players they want, so be it. But It will need to get done before the trading dealine in February. If it doesn't, they could sign and trade some of those players, sign and keep them, or just simply let them go. Not trading them and failing to sign them could have the negative effect of reducing the Lakers down to the new salary cap. That would give them even less money to work with. They currently enjoy being above the cap at 68 Mil by signing their existling players, but are not over the luxury cap.

Gilbert Arenas, Jermaine O’Neal, Shawn Marion, Corey Maggette and Baron Davis, have opt out opportunities next summer. And there are others who could opt out and new free agents will be available. Will the Lakers go shopping? You bet. But it is much easier and better for the Lakers to make a trade than wait until next summer

The truth is that the Lakers have as much as 20 Mil coming off the books next summer. Players who are in the last year of their contracts include Kwame Brown, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Chris Mihm, Maurice Evans, and Ronny Turiaf. These are all good players, but expendable players if it means having the money to bring in another franchise player. These players become more expendable if it means bringing in an all star caliber player without having to trade one of you core starting players. This is the formula of addition without subtraction that works. Get what you need by only subtracting that which you do not need. Granted they might still bring back a couple of those players. It depends on how much money they need to get the player they want.

If a trade does not materialize during the season, the rules of the game get harder. The 6 Mil exemption will buy you a good player but not a great one. The Lakers are currently 19th in the NBA in total player salaries. So they certainly are not currently among the leagues biggest spenders. If they don't get something done, Kobe will be waving "bye bye."

Shawn Marion wants to be a Laker. Jermaine Oneal is one of Kobe's Five. Baron Davis might want to come home to LA. Corey Maggette just might want to stay in LA and be a Laker. And all these players are more inclined to want to come if they know that the Lakers did not have to gut their lineup to bring them here. They know the team will have a better chance of a championship by addition without subtraction.

I just read all the of rules regarding the cap and the collective bargaining agreement and it is a nightmare and a maze of rules and regs. My brain melted down. And my NBA sources all seem to have a slightly different take on where the Lakers sit against the cap. We will have to all be patient, but our dreams are about to come true. It is just not as easy as you think. And it takes two for a trade to go down.

So we start camp just about where we started. We have a different starting PG with Fish coming home, but other than the fact that we might start the season healthy, we are just about where we were last season. We will be better, if healthy.

So which players do we need to watch to see whether or not we make a significant improvement without the big trade we all desired?

Andrew Bynum - is the big X factor this season. He has been quietly working out in the gym, his upper body is ripped, but more importantly his legs look a lot stronger. He hit 56% from the field last season. He is taller and stronger this year and with his freakish long arms, nobody will be able to stop him. If Kobe makes sure he gets 15 shots a game, that will bring 16 - 20 points per game (with free throws). A strong low post scoring game is essential to help our outside shooters getting the shots they need. Andrew's defense and shot blocking will be there. If he gets significant minutes he will probably get at least 10 rebounds per game. He is the most important player that will determine if we get to the next level or not.

Derek Fisher- steady but not an overpowering PG. Does he still have any gas in his tank? At age 33 he probably still does. He knows the triangle and Kobe's game. He can still defend and take the charge. He shot 40% from the field and a healthy 37% from the 3 last year so he will be an efficient player if not a dominating one. His play will be one of the keys to our success.

Chris Mihm - will not play that big of a role, but his role will get bigger if Kwame gets traded. Also, he gives the Lakers the flexibility to move one of their Bigs to PF and Lamar Odom to SF at times against certain lineups.

Javaris Crittenton - Probably should have gone higher in the draft and some had him slated as a late lottery pick. Could be very good, but with Fish and Farmar there at PG, getting minutes this season are a problem for him. If Farmar gets packaged in a trade, he could find himself being a bigger part of the rotation.

Vladimir Radmanovic - hurt his hand at the beginning of the season last year and never got totally back on track before his stupid season ending injury. Confidence is what a shooter like VladRad needs and he never got it going. So far, at the Lakers training facility where pick up games have continued, his team mates say he is stroking it with ease. Let's hope so. Another consistant outside shooter takes the pressure of Kobe and keeps other teams from simply double teaming Kobe all the time.

Kobe Bryant - will he come to camp with his head screwed on straight? Will he bring Andrew Bynum under his wing and make sure the young fella gets the job done? The answer is yes on both counts. Kobe is to much of a competitor to be a slacker, and he knows how important Bynum is to the Lakers improvement as a team. The front office has obviously already shared with him the addition without subtraction formula for improving the team, so he knows help is on the way. It is just a matter of time. Kobe lost weight, is quicker, and showed a renewed committment to defense while playing with team USA. If Kobe plays that kind of defense, the others will have to as well. If not, Kobe will chew their jerseys and spit them back in their faces. I think this season Kobe will say "either play defense or endure my rath." I actually think that Kobe will be an even more effective leader this season than he has ever been. He will lead first by example, and second by getting in somebody's face.

The Rest - you can expect about the same out of the rest of the squad except they should as a group be able to play better if everyone is healthy. So far, So good. Lamar should be ready by the beginning of the season. Chris Mihm and Kwame are most of the way there.

So we should be ready to go. I think this team is going to surprise a lot of people, including us fans. I think by the end of the season Andrew Bynum is going to shock the world. With the addition without subtraction formula in place, waiting to be executed, this team has a bright future.

So sit back, and enjoy. "The game is in the refridgerator, the eggs are cooling, the Jello is jiggling, and the butter is getting hard." Kobe is getting ready to "fake somebody into the popcorn machine." Ah, don't we all miss the great Chick Hearn. He was the glue that kept us all together and constantly told us that everything was going to be alright.

JamFan...aka Don Allen

Excerpt: "If you want, you can call Mitch (Kupchak) up, call those guys up and talk to them about it," Kobe said. "I'm not going to beat a dead horse in the head anymore. Just because too much has been said already. I don't want to get into it no more."

I followed him to the parking lot after the press conference because, you know, Kobe gives some of his best interviews to strangers with digital cameras.

Still, no clarification was coming.

Calling Kupchak up to see what Kobe wants is silly. Kobe has proven quiet capable of speaking for Kobe.

Besides, the Lakers' general manager has already said personal conversations with Kobe are private and the Lakers do not plan to trade him but to build their team around him.

Since Kobe did not take the opportunity Wednesday to say he wanted to remain a Laker, it can only be assumed he still wants to be traded. Which was the last thing he said through his people, I think.

ESPN's Ric Bucher, who started all this intrigue when he first reported an unhappy Kobe might ask to be dealt, was last heard saying the Kobester still wanted out. And the Lakers should trade him, because they didn't want to wonder if he would show up at training camp.

This is a thinly veiled and ridiculous Kobe threat. Bucher's mouth doesn't move about Kobe unless Kobe is behind him pulling strings.

With two more years on Kobe's contract, his leverage is not the best, so he is apparently doing what he can to pressure owner Jerry Buss into changing his mind.

The Lakers are no doubt hoping to change Kobe's mind by signing Derek Fisher to a three-year contract. Fisher was drafted by the Lakers the same year they traded for then 17-year-old Kobe. They became close friends, the solid Fisher one of the few Lakers who could be a bridge between Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal.

"He's a very, very special person and very dear to me," Kobe said of Fisher. "We've remained friends even when he was at Golden State. We continue to talk regularly."

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